Electronic location determination and tracking system with virtual beacon clustering

ABSTRACT

A system and method for identifying a person&#39;s location at a school, hotel, office, business, restaurant or other venue and tracking the movements of that person during their visit to the venue. One or more wireless virtual beacons communicate with the person&#39;s electronic device. The virtual beacons provide the system with real-time data about the person&#39;s whereabouts, allowing for the confirmation and tracking of the person at the location. A first non-limiting example of use, include a company that provides food and beverage allowing the person to place an order for food and beverages on their electronic device and having the order delivered to the person at their current location as determined by the system. Another non-limiting example includes a company performing analytics on the time and movement of it&#39;s employees and customers.

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/802,594, filed Nov. 3, 2017, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S.application Ser. No. 15/230,415, filed Aug. 6, 2016, which claims thebenefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.62/202,357, filed Aug. 7, 2015. All applications are incorporated byreference in their entireties for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

Numerous industries require accurate, real-time location determinationand tracking of people, both persons and employees. A variety oftechnologies exist on the market to perform such location determinationand location tracking but each with their own shortfalls. In general,location determination and tracking technologies can be separated intopassive and active tracking types. Passive technologies such aspassive-RFID and IR-based tags are inexpensive for the individual tagsbut require the physical installation and maintenance of numerousexciters, beacons or receiver hardware to function. Also, passivetechnologies are more suited to choke point locations where you candetermine a data and time that a person passed a particular exciter orsensor but not continuously receive location data. Another issue withpassive technologies is that they tend to require clear line-of-sightbetween the tag and the exciter/receiver thus requiring the tags to beconstantly visible on the outside of a person's clothing.

Active tracking technologies such as WiFi, Active-RFID and Bluetooth LowEnergy solve some of the problems with passive technologies by providingconstant location information and the ability to work withoutline-of-sight. Active tags are more expensive than passive ones andrequire a battery for power, leading to a wide range of lifespansdepending on the technology. Additionally, active technologies are proneto signal bleed and interference issues that will affect locationdetermination and tracking accuracy.

This application is directed towards addressing or reducing theseproblems with existing active and passive location determination andtracking technologies.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

A method and system are described that allow companies (as definedbelow), to determine an employee or person's location using virtualbeacon clusters and an electronic device including, but not limited to,Smartphones, iPhones, iPads, iWatches, Android-powered Phones,Android-powered Tablets, Smartwatches and like devices.

The disclosed method can be preferably performed through a system ofwireless radio, sound and/or light-based virtual beacons communicatingwith the person's smartphone, tablet, computer system, or otherelectronic device. Wireless radio, sound and/or light-based virtualbeacons (also collectively referred to as “beacons”) provide a systemwith real-time data about the person's whereabouts, allowing for theconfirmation and tracking described above and below.

The following non-limiting definitions are provided as an aid inunderstanding at least a preferred embodiment for the disclosed novelmethod and system:

Electronic Location A specially programmed electronic system whichconsumes Determination & raw beacon data from the Electronic LocationDetermination & Tracking System Tracking App on the person's electronicdevice and performs (“System”) location determination calculations.Electronic Location An electronic database where identification andlocation history Determination & of persons tracked by the System arestored. Tracking System Database (“Database”) Electronic Location Aspecially designed software application “App” that is Determination &preloaded on, installed on, downloaded by, etc. the person or TrackingApp (“App”) employee's electronic system or device (preferably portableor mobile electronic device) and which allows and directs the person'selectronic system or device to communicate with wireless radio, soundand/or light-based virtual beacons in order to identify the person'scurrent location. Person's Electronic A computer system or electronicdevice (preferable mobile and System or Device portable) including, butnot limited to, a cell phone, smartphone, tablet, smart watch, laptop,card or other computer system belonging to a person that is speciallyprogrammed with the Electronic Location Determination and Tracking Appto permit communication by the Person's computer system or device withone or more wireless radio, sound and/or light- based virtual beacons.Wireless Radio, Sound A transmitter, preferable relatively small,capable of operating and/or Light-based on one or more wireless radio,sound or light-based Virtual Beacon technologies between itself andelectronic devices. The transmitter will preferably have directionalantennas transmitting capabilities such that a particular beacon signalcan be transmitted in a specific zone. Wireless radio, sound and/orlight-based beacons can utilize technologies including, but not limitedto, Near Field Communication (NFC), Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy,WiFi, Light-Fidelity (LiFi), Ultrasound, InfraRed (IR) and RadioFrequency (RF). All of these technologies and similar current or similarlater developed communications technologies are included in the term“wireless radio” where the term appears in this disclosure. LocationCluster A group of wireless radio, sound and/or light-based virtualbeacons which as a group are utilized in connection with some or allmembers of the group in the determination of a person's location.Administrator One or more persons preferably responsible for enteringand maintaining information about each person to be tracked in thesystem and/or system database as well as configuring locations and othersystem settings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a process flow and block diagram illustrating the registrationof a person's device in accordance with one embodiment for the disclosedsystem and method;

FIG. 2 is a process flow and block diagram illustrating the registrationof a beacon location in accordance with one embodiment for the disclosedsystem and method;

FIG. 3 is a process flow and block diagram illustrating a person'spresence at a location determination rules engine in accordance with oneembodiment for the disclosed system and method;

FIG. 4 is a process flow and block diagram illustrating a firstembodiment for determining a person's presence at location by thedisclosed system and method;

FIG. 5 is a process flow and block diagram illustrating a secondembodiment for determining a person's presence at location by thedisclosed system and method;

FIG. 6 illustrates a sample of a person presence determination usingbeacon clustering at a location in accordance with one embodiment forthe disclosed system and method;

FIG. 7 illustrates a sample of a person presence determination usingbeacon clustering at a location in accordance with another embodimentfor the disclosed system and method;

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows one method for allowing a person to register their computersystem or device with the electronic location determination and trackingsystem of a particular organization, company, school, venue,governmental agency, governmental building, business or area wheretracking of a person's location would be beneficial. Without limitation,this initial process allows a person to be electronically andautomatically tracked within the desired area.

At F1 a, a person downloads and installs the Electronic LocationDetermination & Tracking Application “App” from their computer or anyapp store or marketplace including, but not limited to, the Apple AppStore, Windows Store and Google Play marketplace. The App is downloadedto the person's electronic system or device. The App can also bepreloaded on the Person's electronic device at the time the personpurchases or otherwise receives the electronic device.

At F1 b, when the App is first opened, it preferably prompts theuser/person to register their electronic computer system or device withthe electronic location determination & tracking system. If the useropens the App and does not wish to register the device, then the App canbe programmed to operate in a non-registered mode that can limit theservices available to the user/person on the device.

At F1 c, if the person would like to register the device with theelectronic location determination & tracking system, a form can appearon the screen prompting the person for information including, but notlimited to, one or more of the following: their name, title,identification number, birthday, mailing address, email address, phonenumber, picture or other identifying information. The system andsoftware can also be designed such that multiple electronic systems anddevices are associated with one account so that a person can use avariety of different devices within one account (i.e. smartphone andtablet of a person, both associated with one account, etc.). Therequired fields can be selected by the administrator and can depend onthe specific tracking needs of the administrator and the organizationwhere the system is installed. The person preferably electronicallysubmits/transmits the form when completed.

At F1 d, if during submission by the person, the App determines that notall required fields are filled out, it can prompt the person for themissing information. The user can resubmit the form with the missinginformation provided or alternatively submit the missing information.

At F1 e, once all required fields are provided and the form is submittedby the person, the data is sent to the electronic location determination& tracking system for processing.

At F1 f, the electronic location determination & tracking systemelectronically stores the persons form submissions along with someidentifying information for the person's device such as, but not limitedto, one or more of the following: the device name, UUID, MAC address, IPAddress, or other unique identifiers for the person's device. Theinformation submitted by the person and the person's device'sidentifying information can all be electronically stored in theelectronic location determination & tracking database.

At F1 g, an electronic notification can be sent to the systemadministrator(s) via email, sms, mms, voice, fax or other electronicmethod of the new person registration.

At F1 h, the system administrator can access the electronic locationdetermination & tracking system to view and edit/update the new person'sprofile. The system administrator can assign the person to any group orlist available, create notification rules for the person or addinformation about the person in its profile.

At F1 i, any system administrator's edits/updates to the person'sprofile can be stored in the electronic identification, locationtracking, communication and notification database.

FIG. 2 illustrates a preferred embodiment for how a location isregistered with the electronic location determination & tracking system.

At F2 a, a system administrator configures either a cluster of wirelessradio, sound and/or light-based virtual beacons with informationincluding, but not limited to, one or more of the following its name,unique identifier(s) (MAC Address, UUID or similar), group/organization,unique number within an organization, location, wireless networks, etc.A cluster of beacons can be preferably created when two or more beaconsare grouped together to define a single location. The systemadministrator can select various options with regards to what the systemshould do when it does not receive a signal from a beacon assigned to agiven location cluster. Options include, but are not limited to,discarding the particular location from a presence determination if asignal from one or more of the beacons configured for the clusterassociated with the particular location is not received, assigning adefault or static value for the beacon signal strength for any beaconthat is assigned to the particular cluster that didn't send a signal ora signal of sufficient strength (threshold), utilizing only the top Xnumber of beacons detected for the cluster where X is a variable numberdefinable by the administrator, or ignoring the beacon fromconsideration in the presence determination. Location determination fora cluster of beacons can based on an average of the signal strengthreceived by a device and/or system from all of the beacons assigned to agiven cluster of a location and subject to the option specified above.Alternatively, the administrator can configure the system in such amanner as to take the average of the signal strength received from thetop X number of beacons detected for the cluster, where X is a variablenumber definable by the administrator, and ignore all other beacons in acluster from consideration or utilization in location determination.Should less than X number of beacon signals be detected, the sameoptions as above can apply. As a non-limiting example, a cluster cancontain 4 beacons but be configured in such a manner that only the 2highest beacon signal strength values received from the cluster areaveraged together for use in determining the location of the person'sdevice.

At F2 b, the configured wireless radio, sound and/or light-based virtualbeacon(s) are projected on or broadcast to the configured/assignedlocation(s) and tested to ensure its (their) operability.

At F2 c, a system administrator then preferably electronically accessesthe electronic location determination & tracking system to enter in theinstalled wireless radio, sound and/or light-based virtual beacon(s)'configuration and location information. Alternatively, this informationcan be electronically received from the beacon signals andelectronically downloaded by the system. Beacon clusters can be definedat this point as well. The system administrator can specify the UniqueIdentifiers for the beacons to be identified with a particular location.As a non-limiting example, if three beacons are configured for alocation cluster, then 3 beacon identifiers must be selected to belongto this location cluster. If only a single beacon is selected then asingle unique identifier is assigned to the particular location. As anon-limiting example, location can be identified by using matchingidentifiers on the beacons with only a single differentiator. In oneembodiment, 3 identifying fields can be used for each beacon, UUID,Major Value and Minor Value. Each beacon can have values assigned toeach of those 3 fields. As a non-limiting example, a 3 beacon clustercould have each beacon with a UUID of 121324-34235-342345-34423 and amajor id value of 12345. Then beacon 1 in the cluster can have a minorvalue of 1, beacon 2 can have a minor value of 2 and beacon 3 can have aminor value of 3 (or some other differing numbering, lettering,characters or other indicia). The next cluster could have 3 beacons withthe same UUID as above but with a different major value. Additionalconfiguration of the beacon(s) and location(s) can also be performed atthis step, which can include, but is not limited to, configuringnotification settings, signal types, signal strengths, transmissionpower and device presence durations.

At F2 d. the wireless radio, sound and/or light-based virtual beacon'sconfiguration and location information can be stored in the electroniclocation determination & tracking database.

FIG. 3 demonstrates how a person's presence at a location is determinedand configured within the Electronic Location Determination & TrackingSystem in one non-limiting embodiment. This process can also be utilizedto edit presence determination configurations already stored in thedatabase.

At F3 a, the Electronic Location Determination & Tracking System queriesthe Electronic Location Determination & Tracking Database for a list ofavailable locations. Available locations can be ones that are enteredinto the system database as described in FIG. 2. Configuring refers tosetting parameters for a location to assign a beacon cluster to alocation as well as to aid in the determination of presence at thatlocation based on number of beacons in the cluster, signal strength andduration. This function can be typically reserved for a systemadministrator, though such is not considered limiting.

At F3 b, the Electronic Location Determination & Tracking Systemdisplays a listing of available locations to configure. The systemadministrator or other authorized individual can then select thelocation to configure or edit the configuration of. Reconfiguring thelocation can be for a variety of reasons, such as, but not limited to,adding additional beacons to a location cluster for better accuracy,replace a beacon that is faulty, or changing the presence determinationcriteria to make the system more or less sensitive/accurate.

At F3 c, once the location is selected, the system administrator may nowspecify the minimum number of beacons used for presence determinationcalculation in this location. When a cluster of beacons is configuredfor a location, the system preferably uses the average of the receivedsignal strengths (by the person's electronic device) for all beacons ina cluster in determining location or presence at a location. As anon-limiting example, if a location is configured for a cluster of 3beacons, the signal strength received from each of the beacons isaveraged to create a single location signal strength value. However, incertain instances, a person's electronic device may not receive signalsfrom all beacons in a cluster. In these instances, the administrator canconfigure the exact number of beacons in a cluster to consider forlocation determination, though it is not required to be configured inthis manner. When configured in such a manner, the system will calculatethe average of the highest X number of received signal strengths fromthe beacons in that cluster, where X is the number defined by theadministrator, and ignore all other beacons in a cluster fromconsideration or utilization in location determination. Should less thanX number of beacon signals be detected or this option not configured,the administrator can configure additional options in F3 d below. As anon-limiting example, a cluster can contain 4 beacons but be configuredin such a manner that only the 2 highest beacon signal strength valuesreceived from the cluster are averaged together for use in determiningthe location of the person's device.

Next, at F3 d, the system administrator may now select what the systemshould do when it does not receive a signal from a beacon assigned to agiven location cluster. Options include, but are not limited to,discarding this location from the presence determination if a signalfrom all beacons configured for the cluster is not received, assigning adefault or static value for the beacon signal strength for any beaconthat is assigned to the particular cluster but didn't receive a signal,or ignoring the beacon from consideration in the presence determination.

Next, at F3 e, the system administrator may specify the minimum signalstrength threshold for a person to be considered present at thisparticular location. This signal strength is the measure of the strengthof a known wireless radio, sound and/or light-based virtual beacon(s)transmitted signal strength as received by the person's electronicsystem or device. As a non-limiting example, the signal strength can bemeasured and calculated on a scale of 0 to 100% where the minimum signalstrength threshold is set to 80%. This means that unless the person'sdevice receives a signal from the wireless radio, sound and/orlight-based virtual beacon(s) greater than the 80% strength threshold,they will not be considered present at a location. Though it ispreferred that the beacons are of the same type for a particularcluster, it is within the scope of the disclosure to have a locationcluster made up beacons of differing types (i.e. Bluetooth virtualbeacon, a light-based virtual beacon and a sound based virtual beacon).The signal strength measurement is intended to approximate the distancebetween the person's electronic system or device and the wireless radio,sound and/or light-based virtual beacons and can also include strengthindicators including but not limited to RSSI (relative signal strengthindicator) values. As mentioned above, RSSI is a signal strengthindicator based on an industry standard algorithm that factors intoaccount the known signal transmission power level.

At F3 f, once the minimum presence signal strength threshold has beenentered, the system administrator has the option of specifying theminimum presence duration for that location. The minimum presenceduration is a time value and can be expressed in any known andacceptable time format including but not limited to milliseconds,seconds, minutes and hours. As a non-limiting example, the systemadministrator can configure the value to 20 seconds. In this instancethe person's electronic system or device must report to the ElectronicLocation Determination & Tracking system a signal strength above theminimum threshold specified in F3 e for a period of at least 20consecutive seconds in order to consider the person's electronic systemor device present at that location.

At F3 g, the location's presence determination configuration profile isupdated in the Electronic Location Determination & Tracking Database.

FIG. 4 illustrates the first non-limiting embodiment of how the systemdetermines the location of person based on their registered device anddetected beacon signals. The process below continually repeats and it iswithin the scope of this disclosure for numerous parallel processes tobe occurring using successive data sets from each new detection of oneor more virtual beacon signals.

At F4 a, the person's electronic system or device with the ElectronicLocation Determination & Tracking Application “App” downloaded/installedand running is preferably constantly and automatically scanning forwireless radio, sound and/or light-based virtual beacon signals. The Appat periodic intervals will download a database of current location andlocation settings from the Electronic Location Determination & Trackingsystem to ensure it is in synchronization with the System database.

At F4 b, the App takes all received virtual beacon signals and analyzesthem for beacon identifiers, signal type and signal strengths. The Appchecks whether a cluster of beacons is detected among the receivedsignals based on the options configured in FIG. 3 including, but notlimited to, the number of beacons required for the cluster and optionsfor when not all beacons in a cluster are not detected. If no clustersare detected, the App continues to analyze the subsequent sets ofreceived beacon signals. If one or more clusters are detected, theprocess proceeds to F4 c.

At F4 c, the App determines whether a single beacon cluster or multiplebeacon clusters are detected. If a single beacon cluster is detected,the process continues at F4 d. If multiple beacon clusters are detected,the process will continue at F4 f below.

At F4 d, the App determines whether the average signal strength of thecluster is above the minimum signal strength for presence configured forthat location cluster. The average signal strength can be calculatedaccording to the options configured for the location associated withvirtual beacon cluster as described and configured in FIG. 3. If theaverage received signal strength of the cluster is below the minimumvalue, the process preferably begins again at step F4 a with the nextset of beacon signals received. If the average received signal strengthfor the cluster is above the minimum signal strength for presenceconfigured for the location cluster, the process continues to F4 ebelow. As a non-limiting example, the signal strength, which in thisinstance can be measured and calculated on a scale of 0 to 100% can beconfigured to a minimum threshold of 80%. This means that unless theperson's device receives a signal from the wireless radio, sound and/orlight-based virtual beacons greater than the 80% strength threshold,they cannot be considered present at a location.

At F4 e, the App determines whether signal strength for the virtualbeacon cluster remains above the minimum signal strength for presencefor longer than the configured duration for that location. If thecluster has not remained above the minimum signal strength for presencefor longer than the configured minimum duration for presence, the Appkeeps a record of the beacon cluster and utilize this to age the nextset of virtual beacon signals it receives for this cluster. If the Appdetermines that the signal strength has remained above the minimumsignal strength for presence for longer than the minimum duration forpresence, the App makes the determination of the person's mobile deviceat the location assigned to the virtual beacon cluster. Continuing fromthe non-limiting example in F4 d above, if this minimum durationthreshold is set to 20 seconds, the App must continue to report a signalstrength value above the 80% value for a duration of 20 consecutiveseconds in order to consider the person's electronic system or devicepresent at that location. The process continues at F4 h. If the minimumtime duration is not reached, the process preferably begins again atstep F4 a with the next set of beacon signals received.

At F4 f, the App compares the average received signal strengths for allvirtual beacon clusters and determines which cluster has the highestaverage signal strength. The App then determines whether the averagesignal strength for the cluster is above the minimum signal strength forpresence for the location associated with the cluster. If the averagesignal strength is below the minimum, the process preferably repeats atF4 a. If the average received signal strength for the cluster is abovethe minimum signal strength for presence configured for the locationcluster, the process continues to F4 g below. As a non-limiting example,the signal strength, which in this instance can be measured andcalculated on a scale of 0 to 100% can be configured to a minimumthreshold of 80%. This means that unless the person's device receives asignal from the wireless radio, sound and/or light-based virtual beaconsgreater than the 80% strength threshold, they cannot be consideredpresent at a location.

At F4 g, the App determines whether signal strength for the virtualbeacon cluster remains above the minimum signal strength for presencefor longer than the configured duration for that location. If thecluster has not remained above the minimum signal strength for presencefor longer than the configured minimum duration for presence, the Appkeeps a record of the beacon cluster and utilize this to age the nextset of virtual beacon signals it receives for this cluster. If the Appdetermines that the signal strength has remained above the minimumsignal strength for presence for longer than the minimum duration forpresence, the App makes the determination of the person's mobile deviceat the location assigned to the virtual beacon cluster. Continuing fromthe non-limiting example in F4 f above, if this minimum durationthreshold is set to 20 seconds, the App must continue to report a signalstrength value above the 80% value for a duration of 20 consecutiveseconds in order to consider the person's electronic system or devicepresent at that location. If the minimum time duration is not reachedfor any cluster of the multiple beacon cluster, the process preferablybegins again at step F4 a with the next set of beacon signals received.

At F4 h, the App sends its determined location for the device it isinstalled on to the Electronic Location Determination & Tracking System.The Electronic Location Determination & Tracking System stores theperson's device location in the Electronic Location Determination &Tracking System Database which it is in wired or wireless electroniccommunication with.

FIG. 5 illustrates another non-limiting embodiment of how the systemdetermines the location of person based on their registered device anddetected beacon signals. The process below continually repeats and it iswithin the scope of this disclosure for numerous parallel processes tobe occurring using successive data sets from each new detection of oneor more virtual beacon signals.

At F5 a, the person's electronic system or device with the ElectronicLocation Determination & Tracking Application “App” downloaded/installedand running is preferably constantly and automatically scanning forwireless radio, sound and/or light-based virtual beacon signals.

At F5 b, the App transmits all received virtual beacon signals to theElectronic Location Determination & Tracking System “System” where theSystem takes all received virtual beacon signals and analyzes them forbeacon identifiers, signal type and signal strengths.

At F5 c, the System checks whether a cluster of beacons is detectedamong the received signals based on the options configured in FIG. 3including, but not limited to, the number of beacons required for thecluster and options for when not all beacons in a cluster are notdetected. If no clusters are detected, the System continues to analyzethe subsequent sets of received beacon signals. If one or more clustersare detected, the process proceeds to F5 d.

At F5 d, the System determines whether a single beacon cluster ormultiple beacon clusters are detected. If a single beacon cluster isdetected, the process continues at F5 e. If multiple beacon clusters aredetected, the process will continue at F5 g below.

At F5 e, the System determines whether the average signal strength ofthe cluster is above the minimum signal strength for presence configuredfor that location cluster. The average signal strength can be calculatedaccording to the options configured for the location associated withvirtual beacon cluster as described and configured in FIG. 3. If theaverage received signal strength of the cluster is below the minimumvalue, the process begins again at step F5 b with the next set of beaconsignals received. If the average received signal strength for thecluster is above the minimum signal strength for presence configured forthe location cluster, the process continues to F5 f below. As anon-limiting example, the signal strength, which in this instance can bemeasured and calculated on a scale of 0 to 100% can be configured to aminimum threshold of 80%. This means that unless the person's devicereceives a signal from the wireless radio, sound and/or light-basedvirtual beacons greater than the 80% strength threshold, they cannot beconsidered present at a location.

At F5 f, the System determines whether signal strength for the virtualbeacon cluster remains above the minimum signal strength for presencefor longer than the configured duration for that location. If thecluster has not remained above the minimum signal strength for presencefor longer than the configured minimum duration for presence, the Systemkeeps a record of the beacon cluster and utilize this to age the nextset of virtual beacon signals it receives for this cluster. If theSystem determines that the signal strength has remained above theminimum signal strength for presence for longer than the minimumduration for presence, the System makes the determination of theperson's mobile device at the location assigned to the virtual beaconcluster. Continuing from the non-limiting example in F5 e above, if thisminimum duration threshold is set to 20 seconds, the System mustcontinue to report a signal strength value above the 80% value for aduration of 20 consecutive seconds in order to consider the person'selectronic system or device present at that location. The processcontinues at F5 i. If the minimum time duration is not reached, theprocess preferably begins again at step F5 b with the next set of beaconsignals received.

At F5 g, the System compares the average received signal strengths forall virtual beacon clusters and determines which cluster has the highestaverage signal strength. The System then determines whether the averagesignal strength for the cluster is above the minimum signal strength forpresence for the location associated with the cluster. If the averagesignal strength is below the minimum, the process repeats at F5 b. Ifthe average received signal strength for the cluster is above theminimum signal strength for presence configured for the locationcluster, the process continues to F5 h below. As a non-limiting example,the signal strength, which in this instance can be measured andcalculated on a scale of 0 to 100% can be configured to a minimumthreshold of 80%. This means that unless the person's device receives asignal from the wireless radio, sound and/or light-based virtual beaconsgreater than the 80% strength threshold, they cannot be consideredpresent at a location.

At F5 h, the System determines whether signal strength for the virtualbeacon cluster remains above the minimum signal strength for presencefor longer than the configured duration for that location. If thecluster has not remained above the minimum signal strength for presencefor longer than the configured minimum duration for presence, the Systemkeeps a record of the beacon cluster and utilize this to age the nextset of virtual beacon signals it receives for this cluster. If theSystem determines that the signal strength has remained above theminimum signal strength for presence for longer than the minimumduration for presence, the System makes the determination of theperson's mobile device at the location assigned to the virtual beaconcluster. Continuing from the non-limiting example in F5 g above, if thisminimum duration threshold is set to 20 seconds, the System mustcontinue to report a signal strength value above the 80% value for aduration of 20 consecutive seconds in order to consider the person'selectronic system or device present at that location. If the minimumtime duration is not reached for any cluster of the multiple beaconclusters, the process preferably begins again at step F4 a with the nextset of beacon signals received.

At F5 i, the System stores its determined location for the device in theElectronic Location Determination & Tracking System Database.

FIG. 6 demonstrates one non-limiting embodiment of how a cluster ofvirtual beacons can be assigned to a location and used for locationdetermination within the Electronic Location Determination & TrackingSystem and/or Electronic Location Determination & Tracking App.

At F6 a, in the non-limiting example virtual beacons are configured forfour locations, Table 1, Table 2, Table 3 and Table 4. Each table canhave 3 virtual beacons configured in the cluster. It should berecognized that a table is just one of many non-limiting examples ofwhere the virtual beacons can be located or associated with. Othernon-limiting examples of virtual beacon locations are rooms, booths,halls, doorways and even specific areas within a room.

At F6 b, a person with the Electronic Location Determination & TrackingApp on the persons' electronic system or device sits down at Table 1 asillustrated or otherwise positions him or herself at Table 1.

At F6 c, the Electronic Location Determination & Tracking Application“App” on the persons' electronic system or device receives beaconsignals from all nearby virtual beacons and preferably utilizing eitherof the methods described in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5, calculates the averagesignal strength for each virtual beacon signal received by the person'selectronic system or device running the App. As a non-limiting example,the signal strength measurements for each virtual beacon is displayed inthe chart on the figure. The Electronic Location Determination &Tracking Application or System can calculate a signal average for eachlocation based on all of the beacon signal strengths received.

At F6 d, the Electronic Location Determination & Tracking Application orSystem makes a determination on presence at the location of Table 1based on a higher average signal strength received from the virtualbeacons in the Table 1 location cluster then the average signal strengthreceived from the virtual beacons in the other location clusters.Preferably, the App and/or System continuously monitors for the person'slocation. However, it is within the scope of the disclosure to providefor a configurable setting for how frequently the system checks forvirtual beacons, which can be, without limitation, anywhere from aboutevery fraction of a second to any time limit the administratorspecifies. Periodic checking, as opposed to continuous monitoring, wouldprovide for lower battery usage on the phone/electronic device.

FIG. 7 demonstrates one non-limiting embodiment of how a cluster ofvirtual beacons can be assigned to a location and used for locationdetermination within the Electronic Location Determination & TrackingSystem and/or Electronic Location Determination & Tracking App.

At F7 a, virtual beacons are configured for four locations, Table 1,Table 2, Table 3 and Table 4. Each table can have 4 virtual beaconsconfigured in the cluster and the option to utilize only the highest 2virtual beacon signals received by the App in calculating the averagereceived virtual beacon signal strength for a given virtual beaconcluster. It should be recognized that a table is just one of manynon-limiting examples of where the virtual beacons are located orassociated with. Other non-limiting examples of virtual beacon locationsare rooms, booths, halls, doorways and even specific areas within aroom.

At F7 b, a person with the Electronic Location Determination & TrackingApp on the persons' electronic system or device sits down at Table 1 asillustrated or otherwise positions him or herself at Table 1.

At F7 c, the Electronic Location Determination & Tracking Application“App” on the persons' electronic system or device receives beaconsignals from all nearby virtual beacons and transmits the virtual beacondata to the System for analysis or performs the analysis on the person'selectronic system or device preferably as described in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5.As a non-limiting example, the highest 2 virtual beacon signals for acluster are averaged to determine an average received signal strengthwhile the remainder of the virtual beacon signals received for a givencluster can be preferably ignored. The signal strength measurements foreach virtual beacon is displayed in the chart on the figure. TheElectronic Location Determination & Tracking Application or System canpreferably calculate a signal average for each location based on the 2highest virtual beacon signal strengths received for a cluster.

At F7 d, the Electronic Location Determination & Tracking Application orSystem makes a determination on presence at the location of Table 1based on a higher average signal strength received from the highest 2virtual beacons in the Table 1 location cluster then the average signalstrength received from the highest 2 virtual beacons in the otherlocation clusters. Preferably, the App and/or System continuouslymonitors for the person's location. However, it is within the scope ofthe disclosure to provide for a configurable setting for how frequentlythe system checks for virtual beacons, which can be, without limitation,anywhere from about every fraction of a second to any time limit theadministrator specifies. Periodic checking, as opposed to continuousmonitoring, would provide for lower battery usage on thephone/electronic device.

Each disclosed virtual beacon can provide for a single device that canbroadcast multiple virtual beacons preferably at some distance and angleaway from itself. Each virtual beacon can send out multiple directional(zonal) beacon signals that can each be independently configured asbeacons and thus can be grouped into clusters. The users phoneapp/electronic device can pick up the virtual beacons and the system canwork similar to how it can work with physical beacons and theclustering/averaging of signal strengths

The application and system that performs the above described functionsand steps can include several components including, but not necessarilylimited to, the following:

-   1. One or more Wireless Radio, Sound and/or Light-based Virtual    Beacon(s)-   2. One or more person's electronic computer system or device(s)-   3. Electronic Location Determination & Tracking System-   4. Electronic Location Determination & Tracking Database-   5. Electronic Location Determination & Tracking Application-   6. A public or private computer network to connect or communicate    the person's device with Electronic Location Determination &    Tracking Application running, virtual beacons and Electronic    Location Determination & Tracking system and database with each    other. The various components can be in electrical and wireless    communication with each other.

As one non-limiting example, the ability to electronically determine aperson's location and track that person's movements will providesignificant administrative and financial benefits incident to operatorsof healthcare, education, hospitality or other venues. Withoutlimitation, these include the following benefits:

-   1. Provide venue administrators the ability to identify a person and    the person's precise location within their facility.-   2. Provide persons with real-time mapping and navigation in    buildings and other configured venues.-   3. Analyze person levels and behavior so as to tailor or modify    service offerings and maximize profitability.

It should be understood that the exemplary embodiments described hereinshould be considered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes oflimitation. Descriptions of features or aspects within each embodimentshould typically be considered as available for other similar featuresor aspects in other embodiments. While one or more embodiments have beendescribed with reference to the figures, it will be understood by thoseof ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and detailsmay be made therein without departing from their spirit and scope.

All components of the described system and their locations, electroniccommunication methods between the system components, electronic storagemechanisms, etc. discussed above or shown in the drawings, if any, aremerely by way of example and are not considered limiting and othercomponent(s) and their locations, electronic communication methods,electronic storage mechanisms, etc. can be chosen and used and all areconsidered within the scope of the disclosure.

Unless feature(s), part(s), component(s), characteristic(s) orfunction(s) described in the specification or shown in the drawings fora claim element, claim step or claim term specifically appear in theclaim with the claim element, claim step or claim term, then theinventor does not consider such feature(s), part(s), component(s),characteristic(s) or function(s) to be included for the claim element,claim step or claim term in the claim when and if the claim element,claim step or claim term is interpreted or construed. Similarly, withrespect to any “means for” elements in the claims, the inventorconsiders such language to require only the minimal amount of features,components, steps, or parts from the specification to achieve thefunction of the “means for” language and not all of the features,components, steps or parts describe in the specification that arerelated to the function of the “means for” language.

The benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) thatmay cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become morepronounced are not to be construed or considered as a critical,required, or essential features or elements of any or all the claims.

While the disclosure has been described and disclosed in certain termsand has disclosed certain embodiments or modifications, persons skilledin the art who have acquainted themselves with the disclosure, willappreciate that it is not necessarily limited by such terms, nor to thespecific embodiments and modification disclosed herein. Thus, a widevariety of alternatives, suggested by the teachings herein, can bepracticed without departing from the spirit of the disclosure, andrights to such alternatives are particularly reserved and consideredwithin the scope of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for determining a presence of a user ata particular area within a location by an electronic locationidentification and tracking system application (“App”), said methodcomprising the steps of: a. electronically receiving one or more signalscontaining identification information from at least one wireless virtualbeacon associated with a particular area within a location by a user'sportable electronic device running an electronic location identificationand tracking system application (“App”); b. electronically determiningby the App whether each virtual beacon signal received is from a virtualbeacon whose identifier is previously programmed into the App; c. foreach known virtual beacon signal received by the App, electronicallyquerying a database to electronically receive location properties foreach known virtual beacon, wherein the location properties includeinformation on the number and identity of virtual beacons grouped as aparticular cluster of virtual beacons for the particular area within thelocation; d. electronically determining by the App if a signal wasreceived from each virtual beacon associated with the particular clusterof beacons; and e. for each known virtual beacon signal received by theApp, electronically forwarding identifying information for the virtualbeacon and signal strength information by the App to an electronicidentification and location tracking system; wherein if a signal was notreceived from each virtual beacon associated with the particular clusterof virtual beacons in step (d) further comprising the step of either (i)using a static value for the missing virtual beacon(s) when calculatingan average signal strength for the virtual beacon signals of the virtualbeacons associated with the particular cluster of virtual beacons, or(ii) calculating the average signal strength from the virtual beaconsignals received from the virtual beacons associated with the particularcluster of virtual beacons.
 2. The method for determining a presence ofa user of claim 1 wherein if a signal was received from each virtualbeacon associated with the particular cluster of virtual beacons in step(d) further comprising the steps of: (e) electronically receiving asignal strength for each virtual beacon signal received; (f)electronically determining an average signal strength from all of thesignal strengths received in step (e); and (g) electronically comparingthe average signal strength to a preconfigured minimum signal strengthvalue for the particular area or particular cluster of virtual beacons.3. The method for determining a presence of a user of claim 2 wherein ifthe average signal strength is above the preconfigured minimum signalstrength value the user is considered present at the particular areawithin the location associated with the particular cluster of virtualbeacons.
 4. The method for determining a presence of a user of claim 2wherein where the average signal strength is above the preconfiguredminimum signal strength value further comprising the step ofelectronically determining if the average signal strength remains abovethe preconfigured minimum signal strength value for a preconfiguredperiod of time.
 5. The method for determining a presence of a user ofclaim 3 further comprising the step of storing a determined location forthe user in an electronic database.
 6. A method for determining apresence of a user at a particular area within a location by anelectronic location identification and tracking system, said methodcomprising the steps of: a. electronically receiving one or more signalscontaining identification information from at least one wireless virtualbeacon associated with a particular area within a location by a user'sportable electronic device running an electronic location identificationand tracking system application (“App”); b. electronically determiningby the App whether each virtual beacon signal received is from a virtualbeacon whose identifier is previously programmed into the App; c. foreach known virtual beacon signal received by the App, electronicallyforwarding identifying information for the virtual beacon and signalstrength information by the App to an electronic identification andlocation tracking system; d. electronically querying an electronicdatabase by the electronic identification and location tracking systemto electronically receive location properties for each known virtualbeacon, wherein the location properties include information on thenumber and identity of virtual beacons grouped as a particular clusterof virtual beacons for the particular area within the location; and e.electronically determining by the electronic identification and locationtracking system if a signal was received by the App from each virtualbeacon associated with the particular cluster of virtual beacons;wherein if a signal was not received from each virtual beacon associatedwith the particular cluster of virtual beacons in step (e) furthercomprising the step of either (i) using a static value for the missingvirtual beacon(s) when calculating an average signal strength for thevirtual beacon signals of the virtual beacons associated with theparticular cluster of virtual beacons, or (ii) calculating the averagesignal strength from the virtual beacon signals received from thevirtual beacons associated with the particular cluster of beacons. 7.The method for determining a presence of a user of claim 6 wherein if asignal was received from each virtual beacon associated with theparticular cluster of virtual beacons in step (e) further comprising thesteps of: (f) electronically receiving a signal strength for eachvirtual beacon signal received; (g) electronically determining anaverage signal strength from all of the signal strengths received instep (f) by the electronic identification and location tracking system;and (h) electronically comparing the average signal strength to apreconfigured minimum signal strength value for the particular area orparticular cluster of virtual beacons by the electronic identificationand locating tracking system.
 8. The method for determining a presenceof a user of claim 7 wherein if the average signal strength is above thepreconfigured minimum signal strength value the user is consideredpresent at the particular area within the location associated with theparticular cluster of virtual beacons.
 9. The method for determining apresence of a user of claim 7 wherein where the average signal strengthis above the preconfigured minimum signal strength value furthercomprising the step of electronically determining if the average signalstrength remains above the preconfigured minimum signal strength valuefor a preconfigured period of time.
 10. The method for determining apresence of a user of claim 8 further comprising the step of storing adetermined location for the user in an electronic database by theelectronic identification and location tracking system.
 11. A method fordetermining a presence of a user at a particular area within a locationby an electronic location identification and tracking system application(“App”), said method comprising the steps of: (a) electronicallyreceiving one or more signals containing identification information fromat least one wireless virtual beacon associated with a particular areawithin a location by a user's portable electronic device running anelectronic location identification and tracking system application(“App”); (b) electronically determining by the App whether each virtualbeacon signal received is from a virtual beacon whose identifier ispreviously programmed into the App; (c) for each known virtual beaconsignal received by the App, electronically calculating the averagesignal strength from the highest X number of virtual beacon signalsreceived from the virtual beacons associated with the particular clusterof virtual beacon wherein X is a configurable value preprogramed intothe App; (d) electronically comparing the average signal strengthcalculated for each virtual beacon cluster and making a determination asto the person's location by selecting the virtual beacon cluster withthe highest average signal strength received; wherein if a signal wasreceived from each virtual beacon associated with the particular clusterof virtual beacons in step (d) further comprising the steps of: (e)electronically comparing the average signal strength to a preconfiguredminimum signal strength value for the particular area or particularcluster of virtual beacons; wherein where the average signal strength isabove the preconfigured minimum signal strength value further comprisingthe step of electronically determining if the average signal strengthremains above the preconfigured minimum signal strength value for apreconfigured period of time.
 12. The method for determining a presenceof a user of claim 11 wherein if the average signal strength is abovethe preconfigured minimum signal strength value the user is consideredpresent at the particular area within the location associated with theparticular cluster of virtual beacons.
 13. The method for determining apresence of a user of claim 12 further comprising the step of storing adetermined location for the user in an electronic database.
 14. Themethod for determining a presence of a user of claim 11 furthercomprising the step of the App electronically sending the virtual beaconsignal data received in step (a) to the electronic locationdetermination & tracking system.
 15. A method for determining a presenceof a user at a particular area within a location by an electroniclocation identification and tracking system application (“App”), saidmethod comprising the steps of: (a) electronically determining by aelectronic location determination & tracking system (“System”) whethereach virtual beacon signal received by the App is from a virtual beaconwhose identifier is previously programmed into the System; (b) for eachknown virtual beacon signal received by the System, electronicallycalculating the average signal strength from the highest X number ofvirtual beacon signals received from the virtual beacons associated withthe particular cluster of virtual beacon wherein X is a configurablevalue preprogrammed into the System; (c) electronically comparing theaverage signal strength calculated for each virtual beacon cluster andmaking a determination as to the person's location by selecting thevirtual beacon cluster with the highest average signal strength receivedby the System; wherein if a signal was received from each virtual beaconassociated with the particular cluster of virtual beacons furthercomprising the steps of: (d) electronically comparing the average signalstrength to a preconfigured minimum signal strength value for theparticular area or particular cluster of virtual beacons: wherein wherethe average signal strength is above the preconfigured minimum signalstrength value further comprising the step of electronically determiningif the average signal strength remains above the preconfigured minimumsignal strength value for a preconfigured period of time.
 16. The methodfor determining a presence of a user of claim 15 wherein if the averagesignal strength is above the preconfigured minimum signal strength valuethe user is considered present at the particular area within thelocation associated with the particular cluster of virtual beacons.